Giving credit where credit is due....

While I feel I gave Brian all of the credit in the previous post about the house updates and he appreciated the fact that I didn't try to pass it off as any work that I had done, he felt that I should have mentioned what I was doing while he was out doing back-breaking labor in the yard.

98% of the time, I was sleeping.

But-let's keep in mind that most of this work took place when I was in my 1st trimester of pregnancy last summer, thus, I was in a coma the majority of my days. As Brian puts it, he would be out in the yard doing his thing and would peek in through the living room window to check on me....what he would normally see was me passed out on the couch, drooling on a pillow with some mindless TV re-runs on the screen. ahhh....those were the days.



I would also like to point out that I did help out one day (the week before I found out I was pregnant; which, had I known at the time, obviously would have given me a "get out of manual labor free" card)....I started the day off by spray painting an old set of table & chairs.



You can tell by the picture that I'm really passionate about my work. Later that day, I pulled a bunch of ivy that was taking over every square inch of our house and fence. It's harder than it sounds, that stuff is serious business. Brian claims that after doing this for an hour or so, I found him in the front yard & made a dramatic announcement that I was about to fall over and die and I was done for the day (this was around 11am).

That was pretty much my first (and last) experience with manual labor in the yard. I did plant some flowers this year, which I feel is a step in the right direction. we'll see, maybe I'll go crazy next year & help spread mulch...(don't hold your breath though!)

Book Review: "sTORItelling"

sTORItelling (Tori Spelling)

Ok, don't laugh...I LOVED this book. While I was never a huge fan during her Donna Martin days, I started to have a fine appreciation of all things Tori Spelling while watching her show on Oxygen this year (Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood) and I was excited to read the book.

I laughed out loud during parts of the book, while others were heartbreaking and almost made me tear up (particuarly the parts about the problems she's had with her mother since childhood) It was a really easy read, so if you're looking for something different (or would like to change your personal views about Tori Spelling) pick up this book!

DONNA MARTIN GRADUATES!!! :)

(PS-only 1 week until the NEW 90210 premiere!!)

Outdoor House Updates

Brian has been slaving away on the outside of our house for the past year and a half. He was "that guy" that you'd see out there uprooting trees with his bare hands, spreading mulch like his life depended on it and planting flowers in the pouring down rain. But his hard work has paid off! the previous owners had pretty much let everything go outside (ie-did absolutely nothing at all in the years they lived there) so Brian decided to rip mostly everything out and start over. Here are some before and after pics:

Before: ugly shutters & door, overgrown half-dead bushes

After: fresh paint on shutters and door, ripped out all of the dead bushes, new plants

Before: the owners must have loved to watch ivy consume their house, more overgrown half dead bushes growing alongside the driveway

After: peace out, ivy! new flowers and plans along driveway.

Before: gazebo with ripped canopy top

After: new gazebo frame and cover, Brian leveled the sidewalk in front of the gazebo and put down new stones

Before: backyard, where the owners thought it would be a good idea to have HUGE bushes growing right smack in the middle of the yard (yea, those things that look like trees are actually BUSHES. in the middle of the yard.)

After: Brian ripped out all of the trees, planted new grass and built a retaining wall on the bank going into the backyard.

Before: patio area that was made up of wood chips and a huge playset (which we sold on Craigslist, go us)

After: had a patio installed, put plants in on the bank

Recipe: Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

I can't remember where I originally got this recipe from, but it is gooooood.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can black beans (undrained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 jar salsa
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 packet taco seasoning

-Place chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot; cover with taco seasoning
-combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix; pour mixture over chicken
-cook on low for 6-7 hours, until chicken is tender
-shred chicken with a fork; serve on soft tortillas with cheese and sour cream

***Makes a TON and freezes really well for later leftovers!!

IT'S A BOY!!!

It's hard to believe that 1 year ago today was the day of our big ultrasound, where we found out that we were expecting a little boy!! (and even more importantly, that everything looked perfect on the ultrasound and he was developing right on track) I remember being SO anxious and excited to get to that appointment in the morning, I was like a little kid the night before Christmas & I couldn't sleep (thus, the exhausted look on my face in the picture below) Here I am that morning at exactly 18 weeks pregnant:




Everyone was guessing that we were having a girl, so to a certain degree I was surprised that we were having a boy, but at the same time, I was also expecting it. Let me explain...I have always said that little boys made me nervous. I didn't know what to do with them. They get dirty, they're rowdy and they're loud (and yes, I realize that is completely sexist and stereotypical of me to think, but that's the image I had in my head!) Thus, I figured that I would have a boy first so that God could prove me wrong and make me tougher :)

While I'm still nervous for when he gets older & is running circles around me, needing stitches and beating his friends over the head with a matchbox car, I can't imagine my life without a little boy in it now! I am hoping he is well on his way to being a mama's boy (a well adjusted one, not one of the super needy/creepy ones who can never have a normal relationship with any other women because of his mom!) But you know, if he wants to go to college within a 30 mile radius of our house, that's just fine by me....

Wii UNfit

Part of Brian's birthday present was a Wii Fit. The good news is, he loved the gift...the bad news is, we learned just how out of shape I really am. You have to register your Mii and go through a few questions and fitness/balance tests to determine your "fit age"...my fit age is 47. I'm 27. Excuse me while I go hang my head in shame.

To add insult to injury, once I signed my Mii off and my sister-in-law signed hers back on, a message popped up for her that said something along the lines of "Emmy sucks and should be humiliated by how out of shape she is...please try and motivate her, she obviously needs all of the help that she can get". Ok, so maybe those weren't the exact words, but it was something harsh like that!

I think I'll be sticking to Mario Kart, that's my favorite game anyway...and it doesn't require getting off of the couch.

Luau Party 2008!

Saturday was our 2nd annual Luau Party! The weather was absolutely perfect (about 77 degrees, sunny and NOT humid...ahhhh, if only it could be like that everyday!) We had a great turn out and some very yummy food! I'm most proud of my fruit bouquets/skewer creations, idea stolen directly from Dr.BabyMamaDrama's blog:



It was Brian's birthday, so he lived it up as the bartender of the party...speciality drinks included the Dick Daquiri and the JakeMan (I have no idea what was in them, but I did hear some rave reviews)



Jake felt left out of the party scene and attemped to score some Miller Lite of his own:



And not to be outdone, Mabel decided to find a floater & polish it off...thanks for the help on clean up duty, Mabel!




Jake got a really good nap in earlier in the day before the party, so he was an absolute angel the rest of the day...he even had a few friends come to the party! Here is Michelle's little girl, The Boss, modeling our leis:




And Amber's son Noah came to pick up some ladies and hit on The Boss...finding love at the luau!!




Overall, a good time was had by all & we are looking forward to next year's party already! The number of children in attendance will continue to multiply...I can't wait to see them all in their little luau outfits!

MBIT (Mama's Boy In Training)

Brian & I joke all of the time that Jake is going to be a mama's boy and I am perfectly content with this fact (excited over it actually) But---everyone has always told us that his first word would be "Dada" because it's much easier for babies to say....but living up to his mama's boy potential, Jake decided to change it up & say "Mama" as his first word! (Ironically, this exciting milestone took place on Brian's birthday)

Saturday early afternoon, we were hanging out in the living room and Jake was on the floor playing with his blocks...I thought for a moment that I had heard him say it and Nana and Aunt Amy and I just kind of looked at each other...then he said it again, clear as could be!! It was the sweetest sound I've ever heard, next to his little belly laugh! Fortunately for us, he continued his mamamamamamamama babbling all weekend long!

Brian's family came up for the weekend to attend our luau party (see next post for details!) so Jake got to skip school on Friday to hang out with them and they enjoyed their time with him.

Enjoy it now...

...because this will (hopefully) be the last time you see Jake in WVU gear. I am kind of the black sheep of my family, in that I am pretty much one of the only ones to not attend WVU. But---some people thought it would be really funny to buy Jake WVU stuff...he is the proud owner of a onesie, bib, pacifier and a baby book about the WVU Mountaineer. As much as it pained me, I felt obligated to put him in the onesie and get some pictures to send off to my entire family.

Gracie says, "Baby, you're a traitor! Just for this, you get 3 licks on the face!"

After a few minutes, he seemed to sense that something didn't feel right. I was trying to snap some shots of him smiling, but he didn't look too pleased....

As you may be able to guess from the intense look on his face, he was pooing :) Yep, that's what he thinks of that WVU onesie!! GO PITT!!

Book Review: "The Divorce Party"

The Divorce Party (Laura Dave)

I have to pimp this book out on here because it was written by my BFF's cousin's BFF (did you follow that?) It's a fast, easy chick-litty type read, with a good story behind it and some twists along the way...what more could you ask for? If you're looking for something different, be sure to pick it up! She also published another book a few years ago that I loved, called London is the Best City in America.

Up next: I Was Told There'd Be Cake (Sloane Crosley)

Looking ahead....

Now that we are well into the swing of things with August, fall will be here before we know it. We all know what that means...crisp weather, crunchy leaves, back to school, football and.....NEW SEASON OF TV SHOWS!!!!!!

So for all of you fellow TV addicts out there, here is the premiere schedule of my favorite shows:

Tuesday, 9/2: new 90210 (I don't know that I'll love it, we know nothing can replace the original, but I will certainly give it a shot!)

Tuesday, 9/16: The Biggest Loser Families

Monday, 9/22: Dancing with the Stars

Thursday, 9/25: Grey's Anatomy (2 hour premiere!), The Office (1 hour premiere!)

Wednesday, 10/1: Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money

Midseason premieres will include:

LOST, The Bachelor and Friday Night Lights (YAY, it's coming back!!)

Get ready to slip into your favorite PJ's, program your DVR and settle in on the couch for some great TV!!!

Food for Thought

Jake's teacher let us know that he was getting hungry in between bottles at school and seemed to want to eat in the " big boy chairs" when the other babies were getting their mid morning snack. So...I packed up a box of oatmeal & sent it in with some apples yesterday....this was the rave review that Jake got on his daily report card:


9:00am: bottle (finished all)


11:20am: oatmeal and apples (ate all of it, seemed to really enjoy it! we also gave him some water in a sippy cup, which he loved)

3:30pm: bottle (finished all)


Teacher Comments: Jake really seems to like food.


Well, I could have told you that!! :) He's our little piggy!! I just hope that he keeps up his great eating habits; both Brian & I were very picky when we were little (ok, so I still am, to a degree, but whatever!)


Here he seems to be saying, "Give me food NOW!"